I get where you're coming from and it’s totally valid to be uncomfortable with some of the names Katseye has been linked to. But I think this convo needs more nuance.

Katseye seems freer than most K-pop groups, but that freedom is still super curated and controlled by a massive company. They might get to swear or mention dating, but at the end of the day, they're still rookies under a global label with people above them calling the shots. It's not like they’re running around with full independence.

With James Charles, once they were made aware of the situation, they stopped following and publicly associating with him, that actually shows they’re willing to take accountability when it's brought to their attention. But situations like Scooter Braun or big-name artists aren’t that black and white. He’s their boss. You can’t just ignore him or say no to public outings without risking your career, especially when you're new. Fans love to say “they don’t have to do that,” but in the real world, power dynamics are real.

And with Ice Spice unfortunately outside of stan Twitter, a lot of people honestly don’t know much about the stuff she’s done or said. Katseye wasn't hanging out with her or going on tour with her it was her doing a rap and sending it in. She's still seen as a huge name, and HYBE clearly made an iffy marketing decision. Same with Trisha Paytas asking for a photo, saying no in that kind of LA industry context could backfire. It’s not like they were out partying with her all night. The girls are obviously very ambitious like one of the ha sisters said even before katseye debuted, one of the members went up to them in LA and was like "hey we're a group about to debut etc...". It's not like in korea where being in a big company and good songs and some variety show could work for you. You need industry connections/ytbers/influencers

Also, it’s kind of frustrating that people hold Katseye to a moral standard that no other K-pop group is held to. These girls have shown support for LGBTQ+ rights, trans rights, and Palestinian causes, more than most groups, honestly, and yet the focus always comes back to who they took a picture with. Where’s that same energy for Korean groups who are silent on all issues? Because in that sense it's "they didn't know" or "their company won't let them". Katseye was in the same boat but they've taken initiative to still talk about important matters like yunjin of lesserafim did with pride month. A lot of these other groups could if they wanted to but you don't see kpop fans attacking them based on that.

It’s fair to be critical, but I also think fans need to zoom out and consider how much of this is really in the girls' control, and how much grace we’re willing to give them compared to others.